by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

The Game: Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw overwhelmed the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants from the mound, then broke a scoreless duel with a homer to center off reliever George Kontos leading off the eighth. It was the first career home run for Kershaw, who completed a four-hitter as the Dodgers prevailed 4-0.

Kershaw became the first player to throw a shutout and hit a home run on Opening Day since fellow Dodger Don Drysdale pulled the feat off in 1965.

Matt Cain matched zeroes with Kershaw over the first six innings, but a 29-pitch first took its toll and he left after throwing 92 pitches.

What it means: The Dodgers' big-spending new ownership group could savor a victory in its first Opening Day officially in charge of the club. Last season, Magic Johnson joined soon-to-be outgoing owner Frank McCourt in a box seat as the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3, in the opener at Petco Park.

The scene: A full house of 53,138 at Dodger Stadium saw Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax throw out the ceremonial first pitch â?? he bounced it â?? then, after L.A. squandered a two-on, no-out opportunity in the first inning, settled in for a pitchers duel. It lasted until Kershaw's homer opened the door for a four-run rally.

Fun Fact: Kershaw had gone 263 career at-bats, striking out in 80 of them, before launching his homer. It was the second extra-base hit of his five-plus-year career.

What's next: The teams meet again Tuesday in the second game of a set of three, with Korean rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu making his major league debut opposing fellow lefty Madison Bumgarner.